Things We Love This Week: Arcade Fire, Teen Creep, MGMT

Thank heavens January has come to an end. It was dark and dreary and terribly miserable. Hang on a minute, though. Somehow the weather seems to have got even colder, and I’m not at all happy about it. But hey, look at the plus side: it’s not pitch black when I leave work anymore, and there’s definitely a chance of a snow day soon. Let’s celebrate the approach of spring, however far away it feels, with a cup of tea and some merriment.

Arcade Fire – Ann Ale! (Let’s Go!)

This the most cheerful music around at the moment. Fact. It’s loud, brazen and obnoxiously happy. Be transported to a carnival of song, dance and colour with the foot-tapping, horn-wielding, maraca-shaking song of the week.

Its lyrics translate to “We will dance / We will play / We will pray / We will continue to make the world a better place for all” and this collaboration between Arcade Fire and the Preservation Hall (for Krewe Du Kanaval, which was held on Tuesday) is truly a celebration of the human spirit.

Teen Creeps are a trio from Belgium, and they’ve just announced their debut album. It’s set to be a blend of ’90s alt rock and hard hitting punk. This week, the band released the record’s first cut, Sidenotes, and an accompanying video. Let’s focus on the video. It is just so fun. He’s not even dancing, really, just flailing around. It’s brilliant.

Teen Creeps described the video as an “entire dance routine that perfectly translates the vibe and energy of the song”– and that’s exactly what it does. I’ll be bringing these moves to a dance floor near you very soon.

MGMT – Me and Michael

While we’re on the subject of bonkers new videos, here’s another that caught the eye of this bonkers lady.

MGMT’s new album ‘Little Dark Age’ is out today through Columbia, and features the new single Me and Michael, which dropped yesterday. Its video begins with a note stating “An Afghan a day keeps the doctor away” and a drawing of an Afghan hound. Dog lovers will be hooked initially, but ultimately disappointed.

The rest of the video features little to no furry friends. Instead, viewers get squelching raw meat and characters constantly licking their fingers, tied up in the (supposedly fictional) narrative of MGMT stealing the song from a (real) Filipino band called True Faith. They get found out, and their music career ends in tatters. Where do they come up with these things? What happens in their brains? And who the fuck is Michael?

When speaking to BBC 6 Music yesterday, MGMT said of the track: “It’s super meta. We’ve really confused everybody, including ourselves.” I am definitely confused. Maybe that’s the point?